House-boat.



T. B. BUTTBRS.

HOUSE BOAT.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE4,1012.

Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

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T. B. BUTTERS.

HOUSE BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEI. 1912. 1,054,505. Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO, WASHlNnToN. I) c.

THOMAS B. BUTTERS, OF NEWYORK, N. Y.

' HOUSE-BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 4, 1912.

Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

Serial No. 701,660.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. Bu'r'rnns, a citizen of Australia, residing at 123 \Vest Thirty-third street, New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in House-Boats, of which the following is a specification.

The general object of the invention is to embody in a house boat certain features which will lend to the comfort and facilitate the operation of handling the boat. And to this end the invention consists in a house boat provided with a bath-box, means for varying the buoyancy of the boat, means for securing or anchoring the boat and means adapted for supporting traction wheels whereby the boat may be transported upon land from place to place whenever desired.

Other objects will appear and be better understood from that embodiment of my invention of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which;

Figure l is a side elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan. Fig. 4: is an enlarged detail vertical cross section. Fig. 5 is a cross sectional detail of the bath tub when folded. Fig. 6 is a vertical cross sectional detail taken through the deck atone end portion of the float. Fig. 7 is a detail side elevation of the anchoring device. Fig. 8 is a detail side elevation showing the traction wheel substituted for one of the anchors.

The house boat designated generally by a may be of any required size and shape and the various parts about to be described may be formed of any material or materials found suitable for the purpose. In the embodiment shown the deck 5 supports a housing or canopy 6 and a canopy frame made of a plurality of stanchions 7. The space surrounded by the canopy may be subdivided by partitions connected to the deck and fralre into any required number of rooms which may communicate with each other or with a common passage Way or living room, or such space may be uninterrupted as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In any convenient portion of the deck such as the central portion as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 there is provided an opening 8 and for this opening 8 a removable hatch or cover 9 is provided. The opening 8 leads one end portion of deck 5;

to a bath tub 10 of suitable size and preferably of metal. The bottom and walls of this tub are perforated as indicated at 11 so as to admit water to the tub from the body of water in which the boat rests. The ends and sides of the tub are hinged to the bottom so that they may be folded over the bottom when the tub is not in use as shown in Fig. This folding feature of the sides and ends admits of collapsing the tub against the lower face of the deck 5 in which position the sides and ends are held against unfolding by the weight of the hatch 9. Opposite walls such as the ends 1212 have their free end portions turned inwardly so as to provide hooks 13-13 which engage with cross bars 14-1 l when the tub is expanded as shown in Fig. at and thereby support the tub in its unfolded or set up position.

Extending fore and aft of the boat and connected thereto on the deck 5 are the main floats 15-15 as shown in Figs. 34 and (3. As shown in Fig. 3 each of the main floats is made up of series of cylindrical air tight bodies arranged end to end and suitably connected together such as by straps 16. Each section in each series is an air tight structure so that in the event of one of such sections being punctured or otherwise damaged it may be disconnected from the adjacent section and a new section substituted in its.

place; thereby making it unnecessary in the event. of accident to the floats to provide an entire new float. The straps or yoke 1717 which carry the float- 1515 are suitbly connected to any convenient portion or portions of the deck 5 and the rods 18-18 which connect the adjacent ends of the floats 1515 are also suitably connected to the deck 5. A series of floats 1919 is located between the floats 15 15 and arranged at and a second series of floats 20 is arranged similarly to the series 19 and at the opposite end portion of the deck 5. The series 19 and 20 like the main floats 1515 have tapered outer ends so as to offer a minimum of resistance to the water through which the boat passes and a connection such as indicated at 21 is established between the rods 1S1S and the ends of the floats inthe adjacent series 19 and 20 to admit of swinging of the said series of floats on the rod 18-18. Bands 2222 are arranged over the series of floats 19 and 20 and to the opposite ends of each band are connected the opposite ends of a flexible element 23 which is trained under the floats l515 and over and under pulleys 24 and 25 respectivel y which are mounted on spindles 26-26 suitably mounted in the deck 5, and connected to a Windlass 27 mounted on the upper face of the deck 5. A suitable pawl and ratchet device 28 is employed for preventing accidental turning of the Windlass in one direction. The turning of the wind lass in one direction by the crank arm 29 when the parts are positioned as shown in Fig. 6 has the effect of pulling downwardly on the elements 22 connected to the Windlass and the depressing of the series of floats upon which the said elements 22 bear. This depressing of the said series of floats into the water will have the effect of raising one end of the boat farther above the surface of the water and if both series of floats are depressed then the deck 5 will be moved bodily upward. The means provided for adjusting the deck 5 to various distances above the surface of the water admit of lowering the bath tub when the boat is in shallow water.

The fresh water tanks 3030 are suitably connected by flexible pipes 3131 to pumps located on the deck 5, and are disposed so as to underlie the bath tub when the same is collapsed as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. These tanks will of course never contain an amount of water sufficient to increase their specific gravities beyond the specific gravity of water, therefore they will always have a tendency to move upward and by so doing be held in contact with and support the bath tub 10, when folded as shown in Fig. 5. The

tanks 3030 are connected to the floats 1515 by straps 32-32 which have circular portions surrounding the floats 15 15 so as to admit of the straps turning on the said floats. Screw threaded boxings 3333 are carried by the deck for the adjusting screws 34-34, which have at their lower ends rollers arranged as to contact with the tanks 3030. The turning of the screws in the proper direction by the handles 36-36 moves the screws downwardly and effects the depressing of the tanks 30 from their positions beneath the bath tub when the same is folded as shown in Fig. 5 to the positions as shown in Fig. 4, thus providing for the bath-tub a clearance which admits the tub to unfold as shown in Fig. 4t.

Anchors 3737 are arranged in pairs on the opposite sides of the deck 5 and are mounted on axles 38 on which they are retained by suitable fastenings such as nuts 39. Flukes 40l0 are pivotally mounted in re cesses 31 in the lower ends of the anchors so that when the anchors are raised as shown in Fig. 3 the flukes may be folded into the recesses. The anchors on each side of the deck are connected by flexible elements l242 which pass through eye bolts 43 on the anchors and are adjustably connected to the deck at their opposite end by turn-buckles 44 4;4t when the anchors are folded longitudinally of the deck in raised position the turning of the turn buckles in one direction effects the tightening of flexible element 42 and the securing of the anchor upon the turning of the said. turn-buckles in the opposite direction effects the relaxing of the said flexible element and admits the moving downwardly of the anchor to the positions shown in Fig. 7 in which position they may be secured by turning turn-buckles so as to tauten the said flexible element. The axles 3838 are so arranged as to admit the mounting thereon of traction wheels of the type shown in Fig. 8 and indicated by 45. Thus when the boat is pulled on the beach and the anchors removed and the wheels mounted on the axles 38 the boat may be conveniently drawn over land by a draft animal or other suitable motive power.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a house boat the combination of a deck or floor having an opening a foldable bath tub arranged in said opening and buoyant tanks pivotally connected to the house boat and arranged for supporting said bat-h tub when the same is folded.

2. In a boat house the combination of a deck or floor having an opening, a foldable bath tub arranged in said opening and buoyant tanks pivotally connected to the boat house and arranged for supporting said bath tub when the same is folded and means for moving said tanks away from said bath tub.

3. In a house boat the combination of a series of floats pivoted at one end portion to the deck or floor of the house boat, and means for depressing the free ends of said floats for the purpose set forth.

4. In a house boat the combination of a perforated bath tub arranged in an opening in the deck, or bottom of the house boat and floats located below the deck or floor of the house boat and pivotally connected at one end to said deck or floor, and means for depressing the free end of the float for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS B. BUTTERS.

lVitnesses C. JAMES CRONIN, GEO. A. BYRNE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissionerof Patents. Washington, D. G. 

